City fills record number of potholes in push to be proactive

From January to mid-September, 71,000 potholes had been filled in San Antonio. (Photo: Sinclair Broadcast Group)

SAN ANTONIO —

City workers are filling a record number of potholes this year. They’re on track to reach 80,000 by New Year's Eve, up from 58,000 in 2016.

Anthony Chukwudolde, assistant director of the city’s Transportation and Capital Improvements Department, credits relatively new equipment and a recent push to be more proactive for the uptick.

“We are sending people out there ahead of time to sort of look at the area and identify the areas where we have high incidences of potholes,” he said, “and then we're able to redirect our crews to those locations.”

The entire fleet of trucks used for repairs was replaced in 2015 and 2016. In the past couple of years, TCI has been working to improve efficiency so that crews find and fill more potholes, the department said.

Potholes reported to 311 are typically repaired within two days, Chukwudolde said.

From January to mid-September, 71,000 potholes had been filled in San Antonio.

Bexar County, which has 1,450 center lane miles of roadway compared to the city's 5,000 miles, has repaired 918 potholes this year, according to Director of Public Works Renee Green.